Union minister of state for health and family welfare, Anupriya Patel, has written to Uttar Pradesh chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, alleging bias in appointments of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Schedule Caste, and Schedule Tribe candidates in government jobs in the State.
Ms. Patel heads the Apna Dal (S), a member of the National Democratic Alliance. Ms. Patel’s letter, written on her party’s letterhead, comes weeks after the BJP’s poor performance in the Lok Sabha election and is being seen as part of a tussle within the party and its allies in Uttar Pradesh.
In her letter, written on 28th June, Ms. Patel said the NDA government has taken steps to provide reservation for students of Backward Classes in the entrance examination of Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas, Sainik Schools, and medical courses to ensure their bright future.
“The candidates from OBC and SC/ST communities are contacting me and saying that they are often declared “Not Found Suitable” for the posts reserved for them in various competitive examinations conducted by the State government that have an interview-based recruitment process. Later, these posts are declared unreserved,” she wrote.
The Minister said that Mr. Adityanath would agree that candidates from OBC and SC/ST communities fulfil the minimum eligibility criteria for these examinations and reach the interview on the basis of their merit.
“It is beyond comprehension that candidates from OBC and SC/ST communities are being repeatedly declared as ‘Not Found Suitable’ and that this should be stopped by taking effective action,” she said. Ms. Patel urged the UP chief minister to organise multiple rounds of interviews to fill the posts and not declare them unreserved.